Hiwassee Dam It’s said that cleanliness is next to godliness, but generosity just may trump that. Bill Hutson, however, has combined the two.
On Nov. 2, H&H Softwash and the company’s two-person crew – the owners, husband-and-wife team of Bill and Pam Hutson – were out in the early morning hours starting the monumental task of cleaning the gigantic Ten Commandments that sit on the 200-acre property called Fields of the Wood.
The job would take about six hours to complete. It required wearing a safety harness to keep Hutson from rolling down the approximately 400-foot-tall hill and bouncing off concrete commandments along the way.
It was apparent that he was not afraid of heights. The most time-consuming part of washing the Ten Commandments was not the actual washing, but moving safely up and down the hillside.
When asked how he managed to get himself and the needed equipment up the 358 steps in order to start at the top, with the first commandment, without wearing himself out before the job actually started, Hutson smiled and said, “Oh, I didn’t climb up the steps – I parked around the back.”
During a previous visit to Fields of the Wood, Hutson and his wife noticed the monuments were in need of some TLC, so Hutson called the Bible-themed park and spoke with Darren Schalk, letting him know that things needed to be cleaned and they would do the job for free. A happy Schalk said OK.
The job did not stop at just washing the Ten Commandments. Hutson said he would wash all the monuments within the park at no charge, which will take about four weeks to complete.
When asked why he would do so much work for free, he said, “It’s who we are. My wife and I started a nonprofit 20 years ago that does free home repairs for the elderly and disabled. We retired from that last year.”
Every year, H&H Softwash of Macon County gives away several cleaning jobs at no charge to the recipient, and every other month they donate the time and efforts of a free wash to low-income veterans. The job usually involves washing the veteran’s house.
Hutson does have several sponsors, as these cleaning jobs can be quite costly. The wash involves using a low-pressure power washer, which is safer to use than a high-pressure washer and detergent.
H&H Softwash has received a couple of awards for community service, one being the Jefferson Award.
“It was given to us by one of the TV stations in Indianapolis,” Hutson said. “It’s said to be the Nobel Prize of community service. Jackie Onassis started it years ago.”
Hutson also has another business, Macon Epoxy, which makes epoxy countertops and wall art.
Hutson and his wife keep busy between three adult children, seven grandchildren, two businesses and keeping everything clean. For details, call 828-200-7495 or email mrsoftwash@yahoo.com.